Daunorubicin & Cytarabine +/- Zosuquidar inTreating Older Patients With Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia or Refractory Anemia

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Zosuquidar trihydrochloride, a modulator of multidrug resistance (MDR), may help daunorubicin and cytarabine kill more cancer cells by making cancer cells more sensitive to the drugs. It is not yet known whether daunorubicin and cytarabine are more effective with or without zosuquidar trihydrochloride in treating acute myeloid leukemia or anemia. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well giving zosuquidar trihydrochloride together with daunorubicin and cytarabine works compared to daunorubicin and cytarabine alone in treating older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia or anemia that has not responded to previous treatment.